With all the Finesse of a Elephant Ballerina - Facebook Complaints about the PS4

No single creation is perfect, and I’m willing to admit that. Here’s the thing though, every creation has a method to its madness. There’s a reason for the way everything is, even if you don’t agree with said reasoning, it’s still there. Being that this is a PS4 article, I’ll get down to brass tacks here and lay it out for you. The PS4 is the single most powerful and greatest console that Sony has ever made. I would like to think that it also happens to be the best console to date, but we’re not here to argue that. What we are here to discuss is the problems and complaints that you, the people, have been having on the PS4 Experts Facebook page.

We’re about to throw down people. I’m leaving names out of it, but I’m going to pull no punches in finding, and debunking these so called “problems” with the PS4. Again, it’s not perfect, but what we were given is the best combination of hardware, and software that Sony could bring us within a reasonable price and time frame. Hold on tight folks, it’s time for some tough love.

Complaint #1: Backwards Compatibility.
Let’s start off with a hot button topic that blows up the PS4 Experts Facebook page every time it gets mentioned. I think this particular comment I found about sums up the negative energy surrounding this subject:

“That's sooooo stupid! Why didn't they just build a backwards compatible ps4 and save us money instead of making us pay sooo much for ps4 and ps4 games!! Thats bull**** man! It makes more money for the company but it makes the people who are loyal to Sony get pissed off!! Wtf man.”

Chosen for it’s passion and clear focus on spelling and PG rated vocabulary, this comment was almost immediately attacked by other members of the community, and yet I still see people bringing up the issue. Before we get into the solution that Sony has offered, I would like to first discuss why the system was left without the ability to play older games in the first place.

This subject is best approached with an analogy. Say your grandfather had a jacket that you really liked. When you got older, he wanted to give it to you, to pass it down to the next generation as it were. However, the jacket does not fit. Your body type is far different than his. What to do? Should you spend ludicrous amounts of money trying to tailor the jacket to your size, or should you just buy a new jacket and save some money? You can still keep the jacket around, but it’s time to get something that fits better.

The fact is, if you wanted a PS4 that played every PlayStation game before, you would be paying a lot more than four hundred dollars. I would wager anywhere from six to seven hundred. Needless to say, the Xbox One would look pretty tempting if it were two hundred dollars less than PS4, and we don’t want that. The technology and the infrastructure between the PS3 and the PS4 is so vastly different that calling them both PlayStation consoles is more of a formality than anything. To say that they’re the same is like saying that cats and Humpback Whales are related. When you make something this new and this different, bringing the old technology along is just dead weight. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the PS3 and I still have mine along with my whole collection. The PS4 was cheap enough to where I didn’t have to sell everything to afford it.

Bottom line is that backwards compatibility is a moot point. Not only is Sony offering a solution, but the PS4 is cheap enough for most people to save up and get it without the need to sell their entire collection. It costs less than a Iphone for crying out loud, so just save up and keep your PS3 if you’d like. We’re putting this one to rest now.

Complaint #2 - Why Should I have to pay for PlayStation Now if I already own the game?The solution to PS4’s omission of backwards compatibility is a new program called PlayStation Now. Sony has already said that there will be several options to rent specific games or subscribe to play whatever you like. The service allows you to stream classic titles without the need to download them. Sounds like a good compromise. Let’s see what a fan on our page had to say, I’m leaving the spelling and formatting intact here:

“I will NOT PAY A MONTHLY FEE TP USE BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY I WILL GO TO THE XBOX ONE BEFORE I PAY TO PLAY PS3 GAMES ON MY PS4!”

I would like to think the caps lock button got left on there, but something tells me this was intentional. Let me rebuttal by saying that YOU CAN PLAY THEM ON YOUR PS4, YOUR VITA, YOUR SONY TV, YOUR SMARTPHONE, AND YOUR TABLET! Sorry, caps lock was stuck on that time. Well first off, don’t go to the Xbox One because I guarantee you, you’ll be paying for way more and getting a whole lot less. Beyond that though, this service still has yet to receive a price and there’s always a potential discount for Plus members too.

Another analogy if you’ll humor me: If someone asked you to pay a nominal fee per month so that your car could not only drive, but fly and travel underwater, you’d do it right? Sure, you already paid for the car, but why not pay just a little more to make it do more awesome stuff? And hey, if you get bored you can stop paying and just go back to driving your regular old car.

PlayStation Now offers you the ability to play Last of Us on your Vita. I should honestly drop the mic and walk away here, but I won’t. The service is going to bring you classic titles that can be played on a massive number of devices. You paid for the game on PS3 in the past maybe, and if you still have it, you can still play it, but with a little more investment you can play that same game on your phone, tablet, TV, or Vita, anywhere! You’re not paying for the same game, you’re paying for an evolution of it, an expansion of the content across multiple platforms. It’s no different than buying an HD remake which we’ve all done, because it’s AWESOME! Sorry, lousy caps lock got stuck again.

Complaint #3 - Why do I have to pay for Online Multiplayer? I’ve been tempted multiple times in the past to go to people’s doors like a traveling prophet and spread the good news of PlayStation Plus to the gamers of the world. Seriously people, this service is worth every penny. Of course, it wasn’t required on PS3 for multiplayer and now it is for PS4. Despite the fact that everyone who has the service loves it, you still see people like this:

“No, I'm not happy that I have to pay for online gaming when I used to get it for free.”

The running theme of this article is analogies, so here goes: If I gave you a handshake every day for a year, for free, you’d take it. You’d like more, like free money or maybe a back massage, but you’d take it because it’s free. Now, if I asked for fifty dollars each year in return for a handshake, a back massage, and a free car each month, you’d probably see the value in that and jump on board.

No, PlayStation Plus is not going to give you a free car each month. The point is, Online multiplayer is hard to maintain. Servers need to be constantly updated and examined to stay functional. Since we don’t have terminators yet, that means we have to pay people to do it. The fact of the matter is that paying for something will always yield a better product than getting something for free. You get what you pay for, isn’t that what all the kids are saying these days?

Tack on the fact that PlayStation Plus gets you free, full game downloads each month on your PS4, PS3, and your Vita, and you have to see that you’re getting a lot more than what you paid for the service. I’m not going to beat a dead horse here, but I am going to give you this pamphlet (article) and let you think it over. It’s a great deal, and the multiplayer is all the better for it.

Complaint #4 - There’s not enough Good Games on the PS4 Sorry, I was just laughing uncontrollably there. I’m good now. So that’s an issue, huh? Not enough good games? I mean, I can understand seeing as how I have this problem where I can’t decided if I want to drive my Porsche or my Ferrari. For the record I don’t own either, but the point still stands. And yet, I see this on the PS4 Experts Facebook page:

“BS, theres not even 25 games out yet….experts my a$$.”

The PS4 launched with a wide variety of games, and even though the walls at your local game store aren’t overflowing, the PlayStation Store already has introduced several new and awesome downloadable titles. If you don’t know what games there are, check out our Top 25 PS4 games article to see what the fans voted for (And yes, there are indeed twenty five games, dear fan in the comment above). Downloads or not, these games are quality titles with a lot to offer. My top picks would be Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and LEGO Marvel. I’ve also enjoyed Battlefield 4, but with a list like that, there’s something for everyone and that’s only a small percentage of what’s on offer.

If you’re a Plus member, Don't Starve is free right now. That game is brutally hard, but you can sink some serious time into it without even thinking. Less than a month now and we’re getting Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Thief comes out in February, and Infamous: Second Son is in March. If you don’t see something for you to play, then you’re not looking hard enough. Everything from sports (Madden, NBA, Fifa) to racing (Need For Speed: Rivals), to shooters (Killzone, Battlefield, Call of Duty) is represented in just the launch titles. Even Knack got mixed reviews, but it adds another layer of variety to the current slate of titles.

A Final Note: I love you guys, but you’re crazy!
My friends, all the thousands of you that read PS4 Experts each day, I love you guys and gals. Real talk though, you guys can be nuts sometimes. Seriously people, before you go attacking the PS4, think about the alternatives. Think about the benefits, and really think about what it means for you as a gamer before your fingers go flying across the keyboard. Bottom line, don’t be a troll, or I’m going to have to send Trollslayer after you, and you don’t want that.

Thank you for reading, your input, and your continued loyalty to the PS4.

Did my article get your knickers in a bunch? What other ridiculous complaints have you seen about the PS4? Tell us in the comments!

Comments

Come on Sony listen to the PS community. They are your targeted Audience. You are not so great. Nothing makes you more money than a product and showing that you care about who you are it selling to. Step back and down listen, it works. You want to be great, be humble. Other wise you piss off your money sacks, I mean the PS community. I don't need a PS or Xbox. And I will return or sell mine if this is all I have to look forward to. Technology is great, being a jerk about it isn't.

I can understand why they didn't make the PS4 backwards compatable.O.K let's face it, it's not up to sonny to make there systems to be able to play older games.There not the ones who made them. But how they do this cloud service will tell if they stay in buisness or not. If the fee is part of the Plus service,(but not to much more) i do believe it will fly.

Do people realize that the PS4 is I86_64 architecture and PS3 PowerPC(mips).
I think that is the main reason why it's not compatible. So people can complain, but then again, look deeper then the cry like a baby view.

I have been told PS4 has overheating issues if played too long.
I have a couple of PS3's & personally chose an Xbox one due to the fact of non backward compatibility & overheating issues.
I will say the xbox one has a separate psu (power supply unit) which keeps the heat away from the xbox. I have a bad habit of playing through the night & have not had any issues. Xbox one has now released that they will have backwards compatibility. New tech or not, if marketing says a cow is actually a dog, many will believe due to the fact that people are sheep & are easily lead.